Eastern Visayas drafts new tourism roadmap

TACLOBAN CITY, March 28 (PNA) –- Top tourist destinations in Eastern Visayas are now subject to thorough assessment as the Department of Tourism (DOT) and stakeholders will come up with a new tourism roadmap for implementation in 2017 to 2022.

The assessment is expected to fill the gaps encountered when stakeholders carried out the regional tourism plan from 2011 to 2016, said DOT Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes.

“In the first half of 2016, we will conduct an evaluation on how we fared in every TDAs (tourism development areas). We will see tourism receipt statistics, past and present development activities, new products developed, access road development, status of accommodation facilities, etc,” Tiopes told PNA.

The Central Philippines Tourism Super Region Management Plan adopted in 2009 had identified the TDAs as the Samar-Leyte Interface (Tacloban-Basey), North Western Leyte (Ormoc), Northern Leyte (Biliran), Southeastern Samar Island (Guiuan), Southern Leyte (Sogod Bay Area), and North Western Samar (Catarman).

“The goal is to come up with new roadmap that will fill gaps not addressed during the previous roadmap. We will also look into new tourist activities that have been developed between 2011 to 2016,” Tiopes explained.

Among these sites are floating restaurants in Sta. Rita, Samar; kayaking and water sports activities in Dulag, Leyte; and organic restaurants in Marabut, Samar.

The drafting of the new roadmap is in consultation with local government units, affected communities, tour operators, hotel owners, and management of other tourism-related businesses.

“In the preparation of new roadmap, we will come up with a very comprehensive plan, which should cut across the value chain. This was not included in details in the old roadmap,” she added. Part of the plan would be where to sort out funds. It’s hard to implement plan without taking into account fund source.”

The region consists of the provinces of Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar, and Southern Leyte and the cities of Baybay, Borongan, Calbayog, Catbalogan, Maasin, Ormoc and Tacloban, the region’s regional center.

The region remains relatively under-the-radar compared to other tourist destinations in the Philippines, but this has been slowly changing in the past years as demand for raw nature tourism grows.

More and more people come here in pursuit of rugged coasts and landscapes, secret caves and waterfalls, and fascinating histories. (PNA)
JMC/SARWELL Q. MENIANO